MAX - Here it comes...

[SamuriHL]

4K Streaming Removed From Ad-Free Max Legacy Plan

Heads up, select Max subscribers. Starting next month (December 5), Max is changing up the ad-free plan for legacy users, removing the ability to stream 4K titles with Dolby Atmos. In addition to limiting all streams to Full HD, Max is now also limiting the amount of concurrent streams to 2...

www.droid-life.com

Are we all excited for this change? I'm not sure what happens to those of us with several months remaining on our yearly plan. Do I lose 4K? If so, Max and I are going to have words.

 

[DQ]

In America we refer to this as "shrink-flation". This means that when times get a little rough economically and prices are trending higher companies in a bid to recoup profit will charge the same (or a little more) but give you less.

As I have mentioned a good bit, all the streaming services are losing money. They got greedy thinking if they cut out the middleman (Netflix at the time) they could make a lot more. But it seems no one factored in the costs of being a streaming platform and the fact that no one has enough quality content to keep people subscribed long term.

At some point they will all realize that they make more by again getting licensing fees when someone else is paying to host it vs. them trying to do that themselves. (this takes time because if you are an exec who blew millions of dollars on a bad idea you are not an exec for long so they will play this hand until someone higher up says enough)

When this happens the market will go back to aggregation but it will happen on Amazon and Netflix will end up going by the wayside. Amazon is already positioned to do this so such a transition would be simple in my mind.

 

[SamuriHL]

Amazon is about to piss off a lot of people so I'd not hold out much hope for them. Welcome to the "ad free 5 bucks a month on top of your yearly prime membership" model.

 

[Lukas]

basically, it is a new model of a great economy, meant ironically of course

 

[RedFox 1]

4K Streaming Removed From Ad-Free Max Legacy Plan

Heads up, select Max subscribers. Starting next month (December 5), Max is changing up the ad-free plan for legacy users, removing the ability to stream 4K titles with Dolby Atmos. In addition to limiting all streams to Full HD, Max is now also limiting the amount of concurrent streams to 2...

www.droid-life.com

Are we all excited for this change? I'm not sure what happens to those of us with several months remaining on our yearly plan. Do I lose 4K? If so, Max and I are going to have words.

I just got the new yearly plan for 149.99. I have a contract for the top tier.

 

[RedFox 1]

Amazon is about to piss off a lot of people so I'd not hold out much hope for them. Welcome to the "ad free 5 bucks a month on top of your yearly prime membership" model.

It all comes with Prime membership, it is what it is. It's the most important app we have in my opinion.

 

[DQ]

Amazon is about to piss off a lot of people so I'd not hold out much hope for them. Welcome to the "ad free 5 bucks a month on top of your yearly prime membership" model.

They have other options. All the other platforms are going to go with ads because they are hemorrhaging money. I don't think this is the case with Amazon Prime. They have a market place, no one else has that at this point.

 

[SamuriHL]

I just got the new yearly plan for 149.99. I have a contract for the top tier.

When I get my renewal next April I shall do so, as well. If they take 4K away from me in the meantime with no way to upgrade my annual plan, they are not going to be happy with my response to that.

 

[RedFox 1]

When I get my renewal next April I shall do so, as well. If they take 4K away from me in the meantime with no way to upgrade my annual plan, they are not going to be happy with my response to that.

Maybe you can get a better plan on Black Friday, just cancel what you have and get their top tier for less.

 

[SamuriHL]

As for Amazon, don't get me wrong I use it a lot. I have AMC+ and Starz through it. They are admittedly positioned the best for "new cable company aggregator". But so is Hulu, technically. They already have multiple network content, as well, and will be combined with Disney+ at least app-wise soon.. So I don't think Amazon necessarily has it on lock just yet.

 

[SamuriHL]

Maybe you can get a better plan on Black Friday, just cancel what you have and get their top tier for less.

I can't cancel. That's the point. Once you're locked in on annual you're stuck with what you have.

 

[DQ]

As for Amazon, don't get me wrong I use it a lot. I have AMC+ and Starz through it. They are admittedly positioned the best for "new cable company aggregator". But so is Hulu, technically. They already have multiple network content, as well, and will be combined with Disney+ at least app-wise soon.. So I don't think Amazon necessarily has it on lock just yet.

The market place is the difference and Hulu has some hook-ins but Amazon has almost every service there is in the US. I also think if one of them has to spend a lot of cash for licenses or agreements to end up being the main aggregator Amazon is in much better position as I see it. Disney is huge but they are not making money like they used to. Amazon is making money like it is printing it. These things are impossible to predict of course but I think Amazon is heavily the favorite here.

We will see soon, I don't think the streaming losses will continue much longer. Someone will be the first to reaggregate (and it will probably be an exclusive deal) and once the first one does it the rest will follow.